Most people rate the experience of finding an apartment in New York somewhere between having a root canal and being forced to attend a Celine Dion concert. This is not to discourage anyone from moving to this amazing city: there are plenty of great apartments to be had...Most people rate the experience of finding an apartment in New York somewhere between having a root canal and being forced to attend a Celine Dion concert. This is not to discourage anyone from moving to this amazing city: there are plenty of great apartments to be had—provided you’re willing to give up weeks of your life combing the apartment listings on Craig’s List, chasing down landlords and brokers on the phone, and hauling across the city to see “the perfect apartment for you—this one’s a steal, come quick!”, only to discover it’s a dingy basement studio the size of a closet. Ah New York. How I love living here, but how I hate finding a place to do that living.

The first time I set foot in New York was the day I moved here. I arrived with a couple of suitcases and an arrangement to sleep on a friend of a friend’s couch for a few days while I looked for a place to live. I pictured my new living situation as something similar to Friends—a huge apartment in a building right above a charming little coffee shop where my friends and I would hang out all the time exchanging witty banter. New York, however, had other plans for me.
Lesson One: Money Money Money
In Minneapolis my roommate and I paid $1,000 total for our apartment—a huge two bedroom, two bath place. In New York if you decide to have a roommate you’ll be lucky if you find something where you’re each paying $1,000. $1,200 - $1,500 is more realistic for a roommate situation, and if you want to live alone a decent studio starts around $1,800. Also, if you don’t make an obscene amount of money then you’ll need a cosigner on your lease, so start buttering up your parents or rich uncle now.
Lesson Two: Neighborhood isn’t everything
There are tradeoffs in life, and one that you have to make in New York is whether you’d rather live in a cute brownstone in the Village with Sarah Jessica Parker as your neighbor, or whether you’d rather eat Raman noodles for every meal. I chose location over space, so I ended up in a fourth floor walk-up with a bedroom the size of a shoebox—but loved every minute of it. More “undesirable” neighborhoods give you much more value for the money, so figure out what’s important to you.
Lesson Three: The broker is not your friend
Most of the “no broker’s fee” apartment listings you’ll find on Craig’s list lead directly back to a broker and a fee. The broker does not work for you; he/she works for their commission, so even if they claim they’re going to show you “no fee” apartments, be wary. During my first meeting with a “no fee” broker, he showed me a 12 x 12 studio above a Chinese restaurant with only one window that looked out into a parking garage. When I asked him if he had anything bigger that didn’t smell like won ton soup, he gave me the hard sell. “I’d like to show you something nice,” he said, “but the nice apartments all have fees…” There ARE nice apartments for which you don’t have to pay a broker’s fee, so don’t be fooled!
Lesson Four: Get a roommate
Getting a roommate is the best way to find affordable housing in New York. Of course this means that instead of looking at 20 terrible apartments before you find one you like, you have to meet 20 crazy people before you find someone normal. First there was the guy who usually only rented to young, blonde female exchange students from Eastern Europe. Then there was the woman who told me she would only Then there was the cat lady, the Jesus freak, and the guy who told me he would reduce my rent if I would walk around in my underwear. I had all but given up hope when I met my roommate. She was nice, well-adjusted, clean, and the apartment wasn’t decorated black light posters or Playboy centerfolds. Finally, home sweet home.